Dhaka Attack: India orders probe into Zakir Naik’s speeches

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Things are turning against the Islamic preacher and scholar Dr Zakir Naik as India’s Maharashtra state government has now ordered a probe against him, after Bangladeshi media reported that one of the Dhaka cafe attackers was inspired by his speeches, Indian media reported.

Chief Minister Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed the Mumbai Police to start a probe into Zakir Naik’s public documents.

The Indian federal government had already called his speeches ‘highly objectionable ‘ and hinted at ‘appropriate action’ against him earlier.

“The home ministry will study (his speeches). It will take appropriate action after studying them. His speeches, as being reported in the media, are highly objectionable,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

Zakir Naik’s speeches are reported to have inspired one of the five Bangladeshi militants involved in the latest Dhaka carnage that left 28 people dead, including 20 hostages, two police officers and six of the attackers.

Bangladeshi newspaper ‘Daily Star’ had also reported that militant Rohan Imtiaz, son of an Awami League leader, ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

Naik, already banned in the United Kingdom, Canada and Malaysia, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly “urged all Muslims to be terrorists”.

On Wednesday, however, Zakir Naik had asserted that his speech on Islam and terror has been taken completely out of context, claiming he had only said Muslims should terrorise anti-social elements.